Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-14
In A MEXICAN CITY.
SOME OF THE STREET StENES
THAT GREET THE VISITOR.
Women-Concernin Recrea-
ton and Soc ETY. Matters.
Especial Rncono,usIos Correspondence

Especial REcoRe-USIoS Correspondence.l
GUADALAJARA, May 6, 1887.
The oddities of Mexican life and Customs
strike the traveller forcibly everywhere in
Mexico but more especially in the interior
towns where so-called progress" has made
few innovations. In Guadalajara, as in
many other Mexican cities, one of the first
things stranger observes is the fact that
nearly every block on street has differ
ent name. Suppose ne starts down the
Gale street. de Eturbide; going straight
ahead few steps, the first thing he knows
he is in the Gale de Morelos, aud few
feet further on, in the Gale de Santa Qua
dalupe. Having set out for given place.
he soon finds himself in hopeless snarl-
for soon the numbers begin and end and
skip about as erratically as everything else
that is Mexican.
In Guadalajara, not only have every saint
in the calandar street or block named
after him or her, but some of them have
their names several times repeated in vari-
GUS parts of the city; and then there are all
the men in local history to be thus
honored, besides hundred historic hap
penings which are COMMUNICATED in this
manner.
Perhaps the best illustration of the
Catholic idea OF constantly reminding peo-
pie of their religion is the main thorough
fare of the Mexican capital. In the
lump" it is known as Gale dc San Fran
cisco, but every one of its seventeen blocks
hoe nj he
each are numbered in the usual hap-hazard
fashion, without regard to the numbers in
any other block or to numerical order in
its own. Should you wish to 90 to house
| or shop whose number is 500, if you set
out to look for '' No. 800, San Francisco
| street" you will probably find
| SEVENTEEN BUILDINGS BEARING THAT NUM-
Der
Between the grand plaza and the statue of
Carlos v, but no block at all which is dis
| tinctively called San Francisco street
| therefore it is necessary to know not only
the street and numbers, but the name of
the square in which that particular 500 is
| located.
In that famous Gale de San Francisco
some of the prominent names, translated
into English, are as follows Street of the
Sacred Heart, Jesus street, street of the
Love of God, Heart of Jesus street, John
| the Baptist street, Blood of Christ street,
Crown of Thorns street, Holy Ghost street,
| Mother of Christ street, Body of Christ
street, Fifth OF May street, and street of the
| Sad Indian.
Another popularity of Mexican life is
that everybody lives over a shop, if the
house be of two Stories or uses his lower
| floor for stabling the horses, quartering tie
| servants, etc. Even millionaires often rent
| the ground floors of their SWEETEST resi-
dences for business purposes, and nobody
seems to have any domestic use for their
| lower front rooms, which a Americans con-
slider most desirable.
Go to call upon a Bishop, or some other
| high dignitary, or upon any family OF
known wealth, and if there is not shoe
maker pegging away at his bench Just in
side the front door, or a tailor shop, or hair
dressing or blacksmithing establishment,
you are obliged to squeeze past carriages
standing in the passage-way, or run the
gantlet of horses heels, besides viewing the
paraphernalia of the forever-open kitchens
and smelling the next meals menu
ANOTHER PULLING PHENOMENON
To the foreigner is that every man and
woman to whom he speaks Immediately
presents him with a residence On being
| introduced to a Mexican he grasps his hand
with ardent cordiality and remarks my
house is yours; it stands in the Gale de SC
| and so, number -, and stands entirely at
| your service - or he informs YOU with
great earnestness that La casa de y. ("your
house'') is such and such a number; that
he shall be offended if you do not occupy
it, and that he and all his family are your
most humble servants. As probably he has
| just been introduced to you by some other
casual acquaintance, and has the honor OF
knowing you not more than FIVE minutes,
he would naturally be astonished if You
took him at his word. The funniest part
of it is that these persons who so recklesslv
| lay all they possess at your feet would
scarcely be able to recognize you should
they meet you the next day; and certainly
if you being of the male persuasion "
took the liberty of calling at the casa SC
generously placed at your disposal, you
would meet with the coolest of welcomes
| and be permitted to see none of the ladies
of the household.
Another amusing oddity is that the
street cars run in groups, one car never
seen alone nor two together-but ALWAYS
three or four in row less than half a
block apart. Instead of starting from the
terminus one every five or ten minutes,
several are started at once, every half hour,
To run each car it requires two conductors.
besides the driver, and also. in many
| places, two or three soldiers armed cap-a.
pie. The first conductor approaches a
passenger, sells him ticket and pockets
the money, and soon the second conductor
comes along and takes up the bit of printed
pasteboard; meanwhile the
BRASS BUTToNED GUARDIANS OF THE PEACE
| Stand glowering upon you with suspicious
eyes and loaded carbines. In some re-
spects the double conductor system is bet
ter than the :" punch-in-the- presence Of the
passengaire mode of the United States
but though the soldiers are provided TO in
sure the safety of passengers from robbers
and revolutionis:s, a timid person is more
worried by their presence than by the pos
sible dangers they are supposed to avert.
There are always first, second and third
class cars. The coaches of the first and
second class are made in New York, and
similar to those used in that CITY; while
the third class cars, manufactured in Mex
leo, look more like cabooses used on freight
trains than anything else with which we
are familiar First-class fares are some
times fifty cents; though oftener madio
(64 cents)-according to the length of the
| line; and though there is little difference
between riding first and second class-ex-
cept in the character of the company-the
| Second-claSs fares are usually Just half as
much as first class, and the third class one
third.
The drivers are compelled BY law to
carry horns and to blow them whenever a
crossing is approached, keeping up per-
feet pandemonium in populous quarters
| IN MEXICAN SOCIETY
Sueet-ca conductors are gentlemen of con-
! siderable importance, with their silver
garnished sombroros, embroidered linen,
/ breeches bedecked with silver buttons up
the outside seams, and handsome pistols
proiruding from their belts. Why the
pistols, / do not know-bCt conductor
always wears two of them conspicuously
displayed, probably because otherwise he
doesn't consider himself in ''iull dress"
| Indeed, almost any Mexican would as
soon go out doors without his coat as with
out his pistol. He wears it to church. TO
the opera, to see his best girl-in short,
wherever he goes you may see glistening
bit of nickel-plated steel sticking out from
under his coat tail. Every day when my
teacher of Spanish "a swarthy young man
in jacket of yellow kid and pointed-toed
boots, with enormously high heeis) comes
10 give me the customary lesson, he is
obliged to unbuckle his belt and deposit q
big revolver upon my table before he can
sit down TO business